The Nature of Pumpkins and Graveyards
by KousukeAsazuki
Summary: [Happy Halloween!] Trapped in a house with no windows and a dangerous enemy lurking the hallways, strangers from all different times and places will have to work together if they want to survive the brutal experiment they've become a part of.
1. Gathering of the Chosen

So before you get all excited and/or confused, I'll list the shows/games and characters that I'm using in this short fic before the actual chapter. There aren't many, but it's enough for my first real crossover. Also, please note that this is purely for fun and to celebrate the Halloween holiday, so if some of the characters' personalities are OOC, remember, it's all for the humor.

Series: Spiral

Characters: Kanone, Eyes, Ayumu, Hiyono, Kousuke, Rio.

Series: D.N.Angel

Characters: Daisuke, Dark, Satoshi, Krad, Kei.

Series: Demon Diary

Characters: Raenef V, Eclipse, Erutis.

Series: Fullmetal Alchemist

Characters: Roy, Ed, Al (Havoc, Breda, and Hawkeye make very brief appearances in this chapter, but they won't be part of the main story).

Series: .hack//roots (some characters from the game, .hack//G.U.)

Characters: Ovan, Shino, Haseo, Endrance, Bo, Kuhn, Pi, Atoli, Sakisaka, Tabby.

Series: Utawarerumono

Characters: Hakuoro, Oboro, Dori, Gura, Benawi, Touka.

If I forgot someone, let me know. It's because I can't remember what the hell I just wrote XD.

* * *

"So, this is where it's supposed to be?" a voice wondered, thick with a country accent and cheerful, despite the haunting glow of the full moon.

"It's kind of... dreary," a girl's voice whispered as the girl herself shifted closer to the boy next to her.

The redhead at her side rolled his eyes and waved a hand, "It's nothing to worry about, we're a lot scarier than anything you could find here."

"I'm not scared!" Rio shouted, then clasped her hands over her mouth. She looked to Kanone and then decided perhaps Kousuke was right-- the Blade Child _was _fairly dangerous.

"Can we just get going?" Ayumu yawned, looking to his side where Hiyono had decided to stay glued. It was her fault he was here at all, and Rio's fault they were out in the first place. The chibi girl had decided that she wanted to go to a real haunted house, and had enlisted the knowledgeable Kanone to find such a place. Hiyono, at the time, thought it sounded like loads of fun, but drug Ayumu to protect her from anything they might encounter. Kousuke had come to snicker at Rio's cowardice and Kanone had persuaded Eyes to join them.

So, the seven of them were standing outside a large, abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere. Halloween night was the perfect time for hauntings, and this was the perfect place. The rickety gate that hung, rusted and limp on its hinges, swung open with the slightest nudge, and drew out a horrible creaking sound that sent shivers down Rio's spine.

The group ventured forward through the overgrown brush that littered the walkway towards the darkened house. Something stirred next to Hiyono's feet as she stepped over a tree root and she promptly clung to Ayumu's arm. "There's something there," she hissed.

"It's probably a wild animal," the brunette muttered, not at all concerned.

"Narumi-san, you're not being any fun," Hiyono complained, "Don't you want to be scared? It's Halloween!"

"Being scared isn't really my thing," he admitted, shrugging, "but you have fun, alright?"

"Come on," Kousuke said, drawing the group's attention, "I'm sick of standing out here in the cold." They had all approached the large set of double doors, but it seemed no one was brave enough to actually swing them open.

"If no one else will," Eyes muttered, his glare as cold as the chilly October wind, and pushed through the entrance with the others in tow.

---

"Come on, Hiwatari-kun, it'll be fun."

"I don't want to have fun."

"Then.. it'll be boring."

"I don't necessarily want to be bored, either."

Daisuke pouted and tugged on his friend's arm, "Please come?"

Satoshi sighed and looked the redhead up and down, "Why can't you go alone?"

"Because it'll be scary."

The bluenette sweatdropped, "Isn't that why you want to go?"

Daisuke hesitated, "Well, yes, but..." He couldn't explain it, he just wanted Satoshi to come.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get a straight answer, the older boy rubbed his temples and shook his head, "Fine, I'll go, but we're not staying long, alright?"

"Okay!" the childlike boy agreed, smiling, "So let's hurry, I want to get there at sunset."

"Why?" Satoshi wondered, but was never answered as his bouncing friend pulled him from the school and towards an unknown destination.

---

"Here we are," Daisuke said, panting slightly from the run it took to get where they were.

Satoshi looked around and tilted his head, "This is it? An abandoned house?"

"A haunted mansion," Daisuke corrected him, "It's supposed to be cursed or something."

Nimble fingers ran through blue hair as the paler boy looked around, "I think the only thing that's going to be cursing is us if we get mugged."

"We won't get mugged," Daisuke assured him.

"That's such a relief," the blue-eyed boy drawled, rolling his eyes and heading toward the mansion.

"Be careful," the redhead warned, following close behind him, "there might be ghosts or something."

_"Ghosts?"_Satoshi thought, _"How old is he?"_

_"Your boyfriend," _Krad chuckled, _"Tell him to grow up."_

The bluenette sweatdropped, _"He's not my boyfriend, shut up."_Satoshi wasn't quite sure why, but recently Krad had been a lot more playful than cruel, and his jokes were well-natured instead of harmful like they had been. His angel was about the only thing in this world that could scare him at the moment, and he was doing a splendid job of it.

_"Dark, what happens if I get possessed?" _Daisuke wondered as the pair approached the mansion doors.

_"Possessed?"_the thief thought, bewildered, _"What makes you think you even can?"_

_"Well, people get possessed all the time in haunted houses, right?"_

_"Yes, but you have to realize, you are already possessed." _

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as Daisuke became slightly panicked, "I'm already possessed? How? When did it happen? I didn't even see anything." He quickly turned to Satoshi and grabbed the front of his shirt, "Hiwatari-kun, you have to get out of here, I'm possessed!"

"Niwa-kun, what in the world are you..." He sighed, "Dark-san, what are you telling him now?"

Dark chuckled, _"Daisuke-kun, I only meant that I am possessing you. Technically, of course."_

Daisuke released Satoshi's shirt and became flushed, "O-oh, right... I knew that."

Satoshi quirked an eyebrow but simply shook his head, _"Sometimes, I think they have more problems than you."_

_"What is that supposed to mean?" _Krad demanded, but was never answered as Satoshi and Daisuke made their way in through the mansion's front door.

---

"If it's haunted, shouldn't we tried to avoid it, Master Raenef?"

"But as long as you're with me, it'll be fine, right?" the cheery demon lord wondered, looking up to his teacher.

Eclipse sighed and shook his head, "It's really an unnecessary distraction. You need to continue with your studies."

"Aw, come on, it's not like I get to have fun very much."

"What are you talking about?" Erutis wondered, tilting her head, "You go off all the time when you should be studying."

"Oh really?" Eclipse wondered, looking skeptically at Raenef.

"Uh... so why didn't Chris come?" he wondered.

"Don't try to change the subject," the elder demon warned.

Erutis snickered, "Chris said that this was 'too immature for a real man like himself'." She rolled her eyes and added, "He was just trying to get out of it because he didn't want to be scared."

"I'm not scared," Raenef boasted, "Not as long as I have Eclipse with me."

"You place too much faith in him," Erutis muttered, "but don't worry, if anything happens, _I'll _protect you."

"You can't even protect yourself," Eclipse pointed out, idly, "How can you hope to protect anyone else?"

The girl growled and placed a hand on the hilt of her sword, "What did you say?"

"Let's not fight," Raenef suggested quickly, "Besides, we're here!" A slender finger was pointed in the direction of an old and run-down house.

Erutis wrinkled her nose, "It looks moldy."

"It looks like it's about to fall apart," Eclipse agreed, "Master Raenef, are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course, you both just worry too much." With that, the green-eyed boy marched ahead, leading his servants down the path.

"If he falls through the floor and breaks his neck," Erutis muttered out of Raenef's earshot, "I'm blaming it on you."

Eclipse glanced to the swordsmaster, "Very well," he agreed, "and if he happens to die of fright, then I shall place the blame on your shoulders."

"Hmph, fine."

"Come on, you two!" Raenef called, placing a hand on the mansion's doorknob. He blinked and looked at the door, as if trying to remember something.

"Is something wrong?" Eclipse wondered as he and Erutis joined the demon lord.

"No, nothing," he assured them, then a moment later summoned a cheery smile, "So let's go." Eclipse nodded and the three crossed the threshold. _"What was that?" _Raenef wondered,_"What was that feeling I got just then? Like a powerful presence is inside this place."_

---

"Well, face it, you look like a kid, I just thought you'd want to go out for Trick or Treat."

"I don't look like a tiny pebble the size of your fingernail that can't even be seen without a super-powered magnifying glass!"

A few people chuckled and Roy shook his head, "Fullmetal, I didn't say that."

Ed huffed and crossed his arms, "Besides, I don't like candy."

"But brother," Al interrupted, "you're always eating sweets and any chocolate you can find."

"I am not, don't take his side, Al!"

"Sorry."

"Don't take it out on your brother just because you have a sweet tooth," Roy chided, "Besides, what if he wants to go out?"

Ed blinked and looked to his hunk of tin of a brother, "You want to go out, Al?"

"Well..." the younger brother trailed off.

"It's not like he'd need a costume or anything," Havoc muttered, earning a snicker from Breda and a glare from Hawkeye.

"What was that?!" Ed demanded, getting quite huffy and ruffled.

Havoc immediately raised his hands in defense, "Nothing, nothing."

"Better be nothing," the blonde muttered before looking to Al, "So where do you want to go?"

"I have an idea," Roy spoke up, "though it might be too much for Al..."

"You're saying my brother can't take whatever you throw at him?" Ed demanded, "We can handle anything, so bring it on!"

"But, brother, I don't like-" Al began, but was cut off by Ed as usual.

"So let's go, Mustang, I want to see what you've got up your sleeve."

Roy glanced between Ed and Al for a moment before nodding, "Alright, shrimp, but remember, you're not allowed to run home, crying." The 'to mommy' part nearly slipped out, but the Flame Alchemist caught himself at the last moment.

"I'll give you something to cry about," Ed retorted, balling his fists up.

"Brother, maybe we should just go," Al suggested, a hopeful tone in his voice. The last thing he needed was Ed and Roy getting into a fight in the latter's office.

"Yeah, whatever," the older Elric sighed, "Let's go, Al."

---

"What is this?" Fullmetal demanded nearly an hour and a half later. The sun had set a few minutes ago and the night air was not cooperating with Ed's ability to keep warm. Roy had drug them out to a dark, neighborhood street and at the very end sat an old, creaky-looking house. It was large enough, and seemed that back in the day, a very wealthy family probably lived there. Of course, back in the day looked to be about a hundred years ago.

"It looks like a haunted house or something," Al commented, looking to Roy.

"Something like that," the black-haired man agreed.

"Brother, I don't like haunted houses, they're scary."

"Come on, Al, we can't back down now. If we do, then Mustang will have a field day calling me all sorts of things."

The younger brother sighed and hung his head, "Alright, but... can we be quick?"

"Yeah, sure, we'll just take a stroll through, show that ass that his little smoke and mirror tricks won't work on us, then leave."

Al timidly nodded his consent and Roy glanced over his shoulder at the siblings, "Well, are you coming, Fullmetal?" he wondered, "Or are you already scared stiff?"

"Scared?" Ed repeated, sneering, "The only thing that I need to be scared of around here is your morning breath." Roy rolled his eyes and without another word, the three alchemists made their way into the gloomy house.

---

"There are ghosts in games?" a voice asked sarcastically.

"Just play along, it'll be fun," a girl said, "Besides, you need to get out more."

"Get out...online?"

"Now, now," another, older voice chuckled, "We're here to have fun."

"Yeah!" A fourth voice, another girl, joined in, "So let's go. Teacher, are you coming?"

Sakisaka surveyed the group he had ended up with and sighed, "How did I get stuck doing this?"

Tabby latched on to the man's arm and looked up at him, "Come on, you heard Ovan, let's have fun!"

Haseo glanced to either side of him and if he didn't know better, he'd swear he was seeing double. Shino was to one side of him, while Atoli was close on the other. The gray-haired boy was still skeptical about the whole idea of a haunted area, but Atoli had mentioned it and once Tabby heard of it, it was decided that the entire former Twilight Brigade (plus a few) would go. Besides Ovan, Haseo, Shino, Atoli, Sakisaka, and Tabby, a few G.U. members had tagged along.

"You sure you won't get scared in there?" Pi asked, looking straight at Haseo.

"Just make sure you don't have a heart attack, old hag," the crimson-eyed boy replied, rolling his eyes.

"Well, just remember ladies," a certain blue-haired avatar user spoke up, "If you ever get too scared, Kuhn is here to protect you."

"The only one I want to protect me is Haseo," Endrance said, standing also very closely to the crowded Epitaph user.

"Saku said she'd be awake by now and that I should hold her place here, but... I don't think she's coming," Bo whispered, looking up to Haseo, "I don't really like scary places."

The gray-haired boy sweatdropped, "Don't worry, it's not really haunted, it's just a rumor."

"Well, if you're sure, I guess I'll go."

"How did I get stuck in such a big group?" Sakisaka muttered to himself.

"Teacher! Come on!" Tabby called from the chaos gate. She waved a hand before turning towards the object and in another instant, was gone from sight. Sakisaka sighed and soon joined her in disappearing from town.

"See you on the other side," Ovan said, glancing once more to Haseo before warping as well. Following him, Kuhn and Pi went, then Atoli and Shino.

"We better hurry," Bo said, stepping up next, "or else we might get separated." Haseo nodded and he, Endrance, and the shota boy all disappeared into their chosen area.

---

"Not much to this place, is there?" Kuhn wondered, glancing around the area that had been rumored on the forums to be a ground for hauntings. There really wasn't much to it other than some crumbling tombstones and a large mausoleum. It appeared to be an overgrown graveyard, but its true nature was anyone's guess.

"The ghosts must be really cramped," Haseo said, still unbelieving of such a thing as a haunted area.

"Well, let's look around," Tabby suggested and promptly ran off towards a far end of the area, tugging Sakisaka behind her.

"There's something odd about this place," Shino murmured, looking around, "Don't you think so, Ovan?"

"Well, there aren't any monsters," the former guild leader noted, "Only the Holy Grounds were like that."

"But this isn't a Holy Ground, right?" Atoli wondered, looking around, "It's just another area."

"It almost feels as if there's another presence here," Pi whispered, keeping her voice low and her eyes trained.

"I feel it, too," Kuhn agreed, "but I don't see anything."

"Perhaps Tabby had the right idea," the pink-haired Epitaph user suggested, "Let's look around for some clues."

"Always right on the case, aren't you?" Haseo asked, dryly, "And here I thought it's just because Yata had ordered you to be like that."

"Some of us wish to expand our knowledge," she replied, placing a hand on her hip, "and we do that through investigations."

"What is there to expand here?" Haseo wondered, motioning around, "There's nothing but a bunch of tombs."

"Haseo, look!" Atoli called from the mausoleum. She had pulled open the door and was peering inside at something.

Pi, Haseo, Shino, Ovan, Endrance, and Bo all joined her at the entrance and looked in. "What...is that?" Pi gasped.

"There's someone in there," Endrance noted, nonchalantly.

"Someone," Ovan repeated, "or something."

Haseo went to descend the stairs, but Shino's voice caught him, "Be careful."

He glanced over his shoulder before offering her a glimpse of a smile, "I can take care of myself." With her nod, he continued down the stairs until the darkness swallowed him up.

"Haseo?" Bo called after a couple of minutes, a worried look on his face.

"Where did he go?" Atoli asked, already starting to panic.

"Calm down," Shino advised her, "Us getting excited will do him no good."

"Hey, Endrance, what are you doing?" Kuhn called, joining the group just in time to see the silver-haired boy submerge himself in the same shadows.

"He went in?" Atoli gasped, stepping forward, "He's gone, too!"

"I can't find Tabby or Sakisaka anywhere," Kuhn muttered, "It's like they just disappeared."

"Maybe they went back to town?" Atoli suggested, hopefully.

Kuhn shook his head, a slight frown lining his features, "I don't think so."

"What's wrong?" Pi asked, noticing her fellow guild member's expression.

"Look around," Ovan said quietly, turning the remaining players' attention towards the area they were in, "Don't you noticed something strange about this area?"

Besides the lack of monsters and small space, something else seemed to be missing from the area. "This isn't a field or a dungeon," Shino realized, "nor is it a Holy Ground."

"Bo, where are you going?" Kuhn asked, watching as the young boy started away from the group.

"Keep in close," Shino advised.

"Don't run off," Atoli agreed.

"I'm not," the blonde-haired boy assured them, stopping a few feet away and turning back to the group, "but where's the warp portal?"

A silence fell over the group as each member looked around for the glowing blue orb. Instead of seeing its glow cast on the area, however, the only light was from the moon above. "There isn't one?" Atoli wondered, "How is that possible?"

"This is certainly an interesting area, isn't it?" Ovan chuckled, and without warning, turned down the same path as Endrance and Haseo.

"Ovan!" Shino gasped as he, too, disappeared from sight. She glanced over her shoulder, nodding to the others and followed her friend into the depths of the unknown.

"What do we do?" Atoli wondered, worry lacing her voice, "Do we follow them?"

"We don't have much of a choice," Pi pointed out, "Let's go."

"Right," Kuhn agreed and with that, the four G.U. members followed their friends' lead.

---

Somewhere in the real world, a man stood in front of a shadowy house, a grin slowly lining his lips. He whispered something so low that he himself couldn't hear the words. He knew their effect was taking place, however, when a barrier became visibly erect around the house. At once, the ground began to shake and the barrier fell again.

"How exciting."

* * *

And so the first chapter will end here since it's huge and insanely long. I didn't include everyone I wanted to, but I think I included enough for now. I was going to include others like Inuyasha and Naruto and a few other popular ones, but I decided to keep it relatively small. I do plan to do another crossover like this for Christmas, though, and maybe even Thanksgiving, so maybe I'll include different characters/shows then. Hope you enjoyed! 


	2. The Experiment

Not really going to comment much before the chapters, I'll just say whatever is on my mind at the end. With that said, enjoy!

* * *

"Ahh! It's a ghost!"

"It's not a ghost."

"Then... what is it?"

"I...think it's a guy in a sheet."

Hiyono blinked and looked to the figure before her again. Most certainly, it was a guy. And most certainly, he was tangled in a sheet, though it didn't seem to be on purpose at all.

"Stupid thing...get...off!"

"Um... do you need some help?" the honey-haired girl wondered. She and Ayumu had split up from the rest of the group to explore the mansion and the first room they came across held not a bed or dresser, but only this one person, wrapped in a flowing white sheet.

"Who's there? What do you want? How did you get in here?" the mystery person demanded.

"We just walked in," Hiyono said, walking up to the boy.

"Hey, watch out," Ayumu warned, "You don't know who that is or what kind of a person he is."

"It's fine," she assured the brunette, grasping the sheet, "Here, let me just..."

"Get away," the stranger snarled, and in a flash, the sheet was torn to shreds and a pair of thin swords were being pointed at the girl.

Ayumu narrowed his eyes, "Hiyono."

Said girl blinked a couple times and took in the stranger's appearance. He was much like Ayumu in the sense that he had messy brown hair, but the look in his eyes definitely wasn't that of the boy she adored. Her eyes then traveled to the pair of blades at her neck and after a moment of registering what was happening, she let out a piercing scream.

"Damn!" the assaulter growled, raising one of his swords, "Shut up!"

Just as the fatal strike was about to be made, a clear voice cut through Hiyono's scream, "Oboro, that's enough."

The one known as Oboro halted his attack immediately and looked to the doorway. "Brother," he muttered, lowering his weapons slightly, "So you're alright."

Ayumu glanced between the two, _"These two are brothers?" _They looked nothing alike, Oboro having light brown hair while the newcomer had hair a shade of dark blue, almost black.

"What's the big idea?" Hiyono demanded, now braver since Oboro had been called off, "Attacking a girl like that? Were you raised in a barn?"

Oboro narrowed his eyes, "What was that? I don't care if you're female or not, if you get in my way, I'll kill you."

"Oboro," came the commanding, yet calm, voice again. The masked man turned his attention to Hiyono and Ayumu, "Excuse his behavior, he's been from battle for a while."

"Battle?" Ayumu muttered, looking back to the brown-haired boy again, _"Just who are these people?" _

As if on cue, the newest addition introduced himself, "I am Emperor Hakuoro."

"Emperor?" Hiyono repeated, looking to Ayumu confused. The Narumi only shrugged in response.

"You say I was born in a barn, where are your manners?" Oboro sneered, "Show some respect to my brother!"

"It's clear they're not from around here," Hakuoro noted.

"We live in Osaka," Hiyono said, "it's not that far."

"Osaka?" Oboro parroted, "Where the hell is that?"

"And you say we're not from around here, it's within walking distance."

"This is Tusukuru," Hakuoro informed them, "and there is no Osaka near here."

"Whatever," Ayumu sighed, looking to Hiyono, "Let's just find the others."

"There are others here as well?" the emperor wondered.

"Yeah, Kousuke, Rio, Eyes, Kanone.." Hiyono tilted her head, "You haven't seen any of them, have you?"

"I haven't, but let's hope they don't run into Touka."

"Touka?" the female of the group wondered, tilting her head.

"Another of my comrades, an Evenkuruga."

"Even...kuruga?" Hiyono asked, sweatdropping.

"You've never heard of an Evenkuruga?" Oboro asked, dumbfounded, "Where in the world is this Osaka place?"

"It's in Japan, not far from Tokyo," the journalist said.

"Tokyo?" Oboro repeated, looking to Hakuoro, confused. The emperor merely shook his head, signaling that he'd never heard of such a place.

"Come on," Ayumu said, looking to Hiyono, "Who really cares where these guys are from? Let's just go."

"Alright," she agreed, glancing over her shoulder as they headed out of the room, "It was nice to meet you!"

"Talk about rude," Oboro muttered under his breath, "Even if they didn't know who you are, they still should have bowed when they heard you were an emperor."

"Very strange people indeed," Hakuoro agreed, "They dressed quite odd as well."

"We should still keep checking for Aruru before it gets too late," Oboro suggested. His lord nodded his agreement and the two exited the room.

---

"Have you had enough fun for now, Master Raenef? It's getting late."

"Come on, Eclipse, this place is huge, we have to go through all of it."

"That'll take too long," Erutis commented, "and who knows how much damage Chris is doing to the place while we're gone."

"I've kept Chris busy," Eclipse informed her.

Raenef didn't pay any mind to the comment, but Erutis half-feared what the demon did to the boy. Instead, the blonde-haired boy looked to his teacher and servant, "So can we stay just a little longer?"

Eclipse sighed, "If that's what you wish."

A small cheer resulted and the young demon lord began his trek down yet another hallway. "This place didn't look so big from the outside," Erutis muttered, looking around, "You think it's enchanted?"

"It's possible, but I-"

"What is it?" she hissed when the ancient demon stopped suddenly.

"Keep a watch on Master Raenef," was all he said before turning down another hall. Erutis blinked, but only hesitated for a minute before running to catch up with her friend and lord.

---

_"So there is someone else here," _Eclipse thought, watching the two boys from his position in the shadows, _"They look like they're human, but I'm sensing a strong presence from both. What kind of creature are they?" _Regardless of what they were, Eclipse knew that they could possibly pose a threat to Raenef, and must be interrogated.

"Come on, Hiwatari-kun, this way," Daisuke said, pulling his friend by the arm into a room.

"There's not going to be anything in here, just like there wasn't anything in the other ones," Satoshi sighed, "I told you this place wouldn't be haunted."

"You two," Eclipse's voice broke through the quiet whispers of the schoolboys.

Satoshi turned his attention toward the demon, while Daisuke jumped a foot in the air and maneuvered behind his friend. He wasn't usually so wary of strangers, but anyone who didn't know Eclipse became intimidated by his presence. "Who are you?"

"My name is none of your concern. What manner of being are you two?"

"What...manner of being?" Daisuke asked, confused, looking to Satoshi, who was narrowing his eyes.

"I don't see why we should tell you anything," Satoshi snapped.

"If that is how you choose to respond," Eclipse said, calmly, raising his hands to them, "Then I will simply eliminate you as a potential threat."

"E-eliminate us?" Daisuke asked, nervously, looking to Satoshi.

"You have no reason to do such a thing," the bluenette stated, positioning himself more in front of Daisuke, "We're not here after anything."

"Yeah, we're just here to check the place out," Daisuke agreed.

"You have yet to answer my question." However, he did lower his hands and instead trained his piercing sights on them.

"We're human," Daisuke said quickly, "What else would we be?"

_"Human?"_Eclipse thought, _"They certainly don't smell human."_

_"I think he's on to us," _Krad chuckled, _"Come on, Satoshi-kun, let me show him who you truly are."_

_"No way, Krad, you'll get us all killed." _Besides not wanting the stress of magic being used on his body, Satoshi wasn't sure this old place could handle a fight.

_"Your surly attitude might do that well enough on its own. Besides, he knows you're lying."_

As much as he disliked admitting it, Krad had a point. The man opposite them was no longer on the offensive, but he was still very wary of the two boys, and seemed to be eyeing Satoshi up especially.

"Fine," Eclipse finally said, turning his back to the two, "but if I see you near Master Raenef, I won't hesitate to take action."

"Who?" Daisuke wondered, but was met with only silence as Eclipse made his departure. "What a weird guy."

"Why did he ask what we were?" Satoshi muttered to himself, "Could he know? About Dark and Krad?"

"It's possible, right?" Daisuke offered, "But he's gone now, so let's check out the rest of the place."

"As long as we don't run into that Raenef guy he was talking about, it's fine with me." Daisuke nodded and smiled, and the two continued on their way.

---

"This place seemed much smaller from the outside," Shino commented, "Are you sure we're still in The World?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," the elder man at her side admitted, "It certainly doesn't look that way, does it?"

"Is it another server, like the AIDA server?" Shino wondered, "Or maybe..."

"No," Ovan said quickly, glancing at her, "It's nothing like that."

The pink-haired girl looked to her friend before nodding, "Then what do you propose it is?"

Ovan chuckled slightly and shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Shino let a small smile slip over her lips, "It's not like you to be so unsure, Ovan, are you positive you're feeling alright?"

"Fine," he assured her, "However, this is something out of my control."

"Is that the kind of person you are?" another voice asked from the shadows, "The kind that always has control of the situation? How lovely that must be."

The two PCs turned to face a smiling brunette. Along side him was a silver-haired boy that seemed either bored or lost as he constantly looked around the room. If anything, he reminded Ovan of Endrance, a quiet and stoic, yet fiercely loyal person.

"And you would be?" Ovan wondered, looking the first boy up and down.

Kanone smiled his false smile, the one which tricked everyone one else, "My name? Kanone."

Shino studied the new boy curiously for a moment, "Is that your real name, or your PC name?"

Kanone raised an eyebrow and glanced to Eyes before looking back to her, "My PC name?"

"Yes, you know, your character's name that you created when you joined The World." She offered the pair a smile, one that (unlike Kanone's) was as genuine as she could muster through a computer screen.

The olive-eyed boy watched her for a moment before turning to Ovan, "What in the world is she talking about?"

"Then it's true," the blue-haired man muttered, "We are no longer in The World."

"Where are we, then?" Shino wondered, looking to Kanone and Eyes.

The stoic boy ignored the conversation and Kanone answered, "Well, I don't know how you got here without knowing where you are, but we're in Osaka."

"Osaka?" Shino murmured, "So we're in the real world?"

"Shino, if we are no longer where we were, what certainty do you have that they are were they were?" Ovan wondered.

"Are you suggesting we've all been taken from where we were?" the girl asked, "But if we're not still in The World, why do we still look like our PCs?"

The eldest shook his head, "I'm not sure."

"Kanone, perhaps we should find Rio and the others," Eyes suggested quietly.

The brunette looked between Ovan and Shino before nodding, "I agree, I think I've had about enough fun for today."

---

From outside of the house where now every one of the chosen had been placed, a bespectacled man grinned to himself. Next to him was a much younger male, a boy of only ten years, who watched the house with an intense curiosity.

"Uike-sama, I wish to give my thanks for helping me arrange this experiment."

The boy looked to his elder and nodded, "I was interested as well, to see how everything would turn out. After all, it's so interesting to see how people react under stress, and in unfamiliar situations, don't you agree, Hiwatari-san?"

Kei chuckled and looked back to the house, "Many people will suffer because of this experiment. Is a child of your age really alright with such a burden?"

Toru looked to the man and tilted his head, "I want more than anything for Has-... no, for Misaki-san to suffer and smell the pain of defeat, as he once caused me to. There is no doubt that I am alright with whatever will happen to those inside."

"You're certainly advanced for your young age," Kei noted, approvingly, "You're a much better partner."

Toru tilted his head, "Better than who?"

"Someone who is now inside that house as we speak. An artifical angel who is sealed away inside my adopted son's body."

"And you don't mind him being in danger with the rest? You are nearly as heartless as I am, Hiwatari-san."

"Satoshi, I don't care about, and Krad-san is already on the brink of insanity as it is. If it is our mission to judge the stability level of several individuals in an unfamiliar and pressured situation, then I feel no one is more suited to be a test subject than Krad-san."

"You know a lot about him," Toru commented, "Were you two ever...close?"

"Close?" Kei repeated, turning his back to the house, "Certainly not. I imagine Krad-san despises me for putting his vessel in so much danger. But either way, that is the past, and this is the present."

"Agreed."

"So, then, Uike-sama, shall we go?"

The young boy nodded and began leading the way from the captives' dungeon, "But I have one question."

"Hm?"

"Why do you keep saying 'sama'?"

"Does the title make you uncomfortable?" Kei wondered, amused, "By all means, I could call you Uike-san, or even Toru-kun."

Toru sent a glare to his side, "I was thinking more Uike-dono."

The elder man chuckled and adjusted his glasses, "Then as you wish, Uike-dono."

* * *

And so the plot thickens. If you don't know who this Toru kid is and you_have _played .hack//G.U., it's... (drum roll, please) Sakaki! Yes, he's a kid... which you should know if you've played the game, but for all those ill-informed out there XD. Everyone else should be familiar if you've played the game/seen the show. If not, then just go along with it, mkay? Good, then, hope you enjoyed! 


	3. A Meeting of Fate

A few, short timeskips in this chapter just to move things along a bit. Don't worry, it won't be boring for much longer. Enjoy!

* * *

It was nearly three hours later, and most had found some or all of the ones they came with. Some, like Daisuke and Satoshi, had never split up, but came across numerous others, all of which they regarded warily (in Satoshi's case) or just deemed strange (in Daisuke's case). However, some had yet to find their companions, and panic was starting to set in that they may never see their friends again.

"Have you found the rest of your comrades?"

"Comrades? You mean my friends?"

Benawi rubbed his head, "Yes, your friends."

Bo shook his head, "No, mister, I haven't."

"You can call me by my name, you know," the samurai general pointed out, "It makes me feel.. old."

"Oh, sorry, but um..."

"What is it now?"

"I don't know your name."

The green-eyed man blinked, "It seems I forgot to introduce myself in the confusion. I am Benawi, samurai general of Tusukuru."

"Wow," Bo remarked, "that's a neat character, but I don't think I've heard of the samurai general race. And what's Tusukuru? Is that a guild?"

Benawi blinked a few times, "A...guild?"

Bo nodded, "Yeah, you know.. like Raven or Canard."

"I've never heard of these places," he confessed, feeling very foolish. He had thought he had quite a knowledgeable range of geography.

"Well, they're not places," the young boy said, "They're guilds... kind of like clubs. You must be new."

This time, Benawi couldn't help but sweatdrop, "New to what?"

"The World."

"The world? But you're younger than I am, how can you say I'm new to it?" For dignity, this conversation was killing him, but the general couldn't help but be intrigued by what the hell this kid was talking about.

"Not the real world, I mean the game, The World."

"I don't know what you're speaking of, I've never played any game."

"Wow," Bo said again, "You're really into this, aren't you?"

"It's not a game," a voice said, approaching them.

"Haseo," the young boy said, relieved. The teen nodded to his fellow player and stopped next to him with Endrance in tow.

"We are no longer within The World," the dramatic boy said quietly, "In fact, we may no longer be within the reality that we know at all."

"What are you three talking about?" Benawi asked, shaking his head, "You're confusing me."

"Bo, Endrance, and I, we're all players in an online game called The World," Haseo explained, "Somehow, though... it seems that our players and characters have become one and been teleported out of the server."

_"On...line?"_Benawi thought, wondering what foreign things these people were talking of, _"Perhaps they are from a different time? But that's absurd. Still, this whole situation is odd, to say the least."_

"Have you seen any of the others?" Bo asked, looking to Haseo.

The gray-haired boy shook his head, "Only Endrance, who said he followed me right in after."

"I came in right after you two, but I didn't see anyone around when I got here."

Haseo rubbed his head and shrugged, then looked to Benawi, "So where did you come from?"

"I am from Tusukuru, my name is Benawi," the general introduced himself once again.

"Tusukuru?" Haseo repeated, "Never heard of it, but I'm Haseo and this is Endrance."

The uninterested boy spared Benawi a glance before looking back to Haseo, "We should find the others, shouldn't we?"

The crimson-eyed boy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, they have to be around here somewhere."

"Farewell," Benawi spoke up, nodding to each, "I hope you find your comrades."

"What a weird guy," Haseo muttered as the out-of-place male walked away.

"Do you think everyone else is okay?" Bo asked, looking worriedly up to his friend.

"I'm sure they're fine," Haseo assured him, "Everyone can take care of themselves, and besides, we haven't actually seen any real danger yet, right?" This seemed to comfort the boy as he nodded and the three continued on their search.

---

"Al? Al!" Ed's panicked voice rang through the empty hallways. He glared at the man next to him, "This is all your fault, Mustang, if we hadn't come to this place, Al wouldn't-"

"Wouldn't what?" Roy cut him off, "Be lost? You really think with all the horrors he's seen, that he won't survive being lost in an old mansion?"

"That's not the point, he's never had to face any of that alone!" Which was the plain truth-- Ed had made sure his brother was never alone to defend himself; he always made sure that Al was protected and taken care of. Honestly, it was probably why he himself got hurt so much, but he knew if his brother could still be scared by the thought of a haunted house, then it was all worth it. It meant that Al was still his younger brother and that he hadn't become hardened and cold like Ed-- that was the last thing the elder brother wanted.

"Fullmetal, calm down, I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Perhaps he found someone else that was lost, as well." Since the two had stepped inside, they had come across a variety of strange people. Two very oddly dressed people that spoke of online games and PCs, then another couple with a girl even shorter than Ed and a boy that seemed to like teasing her about it as much as Roy did Ed. All in all, the two males had concluded that this place was far from as empty as it seemed, and far from as small as it seemed.

"He just better be alright, or I'll kick your ass," Ed muttered and turned down another hallway.

Just as he stepped around the corner, he smacked into a large plate of metal, which squeaked and spun around. "Brother!"

"Damn it, Al, why are you standing right around the corner where people can just walk into you?!"

The suit of armor rubbed its head sheepishly, "Oh, sorry, are you two alright?"

"Besides a minor headache, fine," Roy told him, shooting a glance to the headache-causer.

"So you're alright, too?" Ed asked, looking to his brother, "Why were you just standing there like that, though?"

"Oh, that, well I saw someone down the hall that I thought might be you and I called out to him, but when he turned around..."

Ed tilted his head, waiting for an answer, "Well? When he turned around, what?"

"He looked a lot like you, but he had a really cold look in his eyes and when he spoke, it sounded...demonic." If Al was in his own flesh, he would have shivered at that point from the memory.

"Demonic?" Ed repeated, then turned to Mustang, "Just what kind of place is this and what did Al see?"

Roy quirked an eyebrow, "I don't see why you expect me to know."

"You're the one who brought us here!"

"Brother, keep your voice down," Al chided, "What if it comes back?"

"This_isn't _fun, Mustang, get us out of here," the blonde demanded.

Roy looked around for a few moments, before back down to Ed, "And how would you propose I do that? We're lost and incase you haven't noticed, there aren't any windows."

"Wha..." Ed spun around and realized his superior was right-- the hallways looked all the same and there was no way to tell how deep into the house they were. Other than that, the lighting from the lamps inside the house were the only light that they had to see by. "Wait a minute... lamps? This place is supposed to be abandoned isn't it? Why is there still electricity coming into here?"

"Maybe it's not abandoned?" Al whispered, a hint of fear lacing his voice.

"We've run into other people that thought it was empty, too," Roy pointed out, "I doubt so many people could be wrong."

"Those people weren't normal, they kept talking about a different world than ours," Ed reminded him, "Roy, just where the hell did you take us?"

---

"It looks like a dining room," Satoshi muttered as he and Daisuke stepped into a large room with a long, wooden table stretched down the center.

Daisuke nodded and looked around, "Maybe we should stay here for a little bit, I'm getting kind of tired."

"Alright, but we should turn back soon," the bluenette said, taking a seat on the corner of the table.

"Yeah, this place is a lot bigger than I tho-"

"Shh," Satoshi hissed suddenly, standing up and turning his attention toward the far wall.

Daisuke inched closer to his friend and glanced at him, "What is it?"

"I heard voices," the bluenette muttered under his breath.

"Well, there are other people here, right? Maybe they know how to get out."

"Come on," Satoshi said and began slowly inching his way towards one of the four doors that led into the dining room.

Daisuke followed him and glanced over his shoulder as the knob began to turn. Both boys halted simultaneously as the door began to creak open and both red and blue orbs were trained on the door. Each second that passed by pulsed in time with their racing hearts. They knew others were in the house, but this didn't feel like a friendly force that was entering the room.

_"It's getting cold," _Daisuke thought, wrapping his arms around himself.

_"Daisuke-kun,"_Dark answered, _"Let me take over, I don't like the looks of this."_

Daisuke bit his lip and glanced to Satoshi before quickly squeezing his hand and closing his eyes. As Satoshi turned to look at his friend, Dark was instead in his place. The bluenette wasn't at all confused at what happened, and was nearly on the verge of letting the angels handle this situation on their own. However, as much as he wished to run and hide, he wasn't sure releasing Krad would be the best thing for the time.

"It's freezing in here," Dark muttered, "What's going on?"

"It just started getting cold," Satoshi whispered to him. Both were still waiting on the mystery guest to arrive, but the door seemed to simply hang half-way open instead of being pushed the rest of the way. Satoshi also noted to himself that he didn't hear the voices any longer, "Maybe they changed their mind?"

"No, wait," Dark said suddenly, tense and alert, "What's that sound?" From the open door, the two could hear a guttural moan that sounded like a zombie from some cliche movie. Dark narrowed his eyes while Satoshi actually took a step back.

_"What's wrong, Satoshi-kun," _Krad said mockingly, _"Afraid of the big, bad beast?"_

_"I'm not afraid of anything," _the bluenette snapped back, _"I just thought I'd let Dark take care of it."_

_"Why don't you let me out? I'll make quick work of everything in here."_

Satoshi ignored the comment and watched as Dark approached the door and in an instant, swung it open. On the other side was an empty hallway that stretched down to either end of the house and ended in a set of stairs on either side-- one going up, and one going down.

"You think there's something in the basement?" Satoshi wondered, glancing towards the descending staircase.

"It's possible," Dark shrugged, "but I'm not getting involved in it."

_"What were those voices we heard?" _Daisuke wondered, _"What if someone went down there and is in trouble?"_

_"Then we'd hear them scream," _Dark chuckled.

_"That's not funny, someone might be-!"_

_"Daisuke-kun,"_the thief cut his tamer off, _"Think about it, there's only two sets of stairs down this way, if anyone was through here, they'd already be upstairs or downstairs, right?"_

_"Well, yeah, but..."_

_"Don't worry about it, I'm sure everything's fine. Besides, you don't want to leave Satoshi-kun here all alone, right?"_

_"No..."_Daisuke was silent after that, and Dark turned to Satoshi.

"So, we're waiting here for what, exactly?"

The ice-eyed boy glanced to the angel before turning his back to him, "I'm waiting for Daisuke to come back out, I don't know why_you're _still around."

Dark shrugged, "Daisuke said it's too cold out here, so looks like you'll be waiting a while."

Satoshi sighed in annoyance and was about to comment on that when more voices interrupted him. This time, though, the voices were clear and the two boys could tell that they were nearby whereas before they were indistinct and seemed to be coming from a distance.

Sure enough, moments later three people ventured in from the door to the east (Satoshi and Daisuke had come from the north while the stairway door was to the south). The first to enter was a young girl with long, pink hair and a sword ready at her side. Her eyes trained on the pair as soon as she entered the room, and she immediately became defensive. More interesting Satoshi found, though, was something growing from either side of her head.

"Are those... wings?" he muttered. He had never seen anyone other than Krad and Dark that had wings, and certainly no one with miniature wings replacing their ears.

Touka regarded the two with extreme caution, "Hakuoro-sama, stay back."

Someone, still outside the door, spoke in return, "What is it, Touka-dono?"

"Come on," a third voice, ready and willing to fight, said eagerly, "we can take them."

"Oboro," the one known as Hakuoro said, "calm down."

Touka watched the two boys as she walked slowly into the room. Followed behind her was Oboro, and then finally the emperor, who seemed not near as tense as his subordinates. "Who are you two?" she demanded.

Dark grinned slightly and Satoshi mentally kicked himself for not stopping Daisuke from letting the playboy at. The purple-haired angel approached Touka, who immediately drew her sword and, with Oboro, positioned herself in front of Hakuoro.

"Relax, young lady," Dark chided, "There's no need to be so tense anymore, I'll keep you safe."

Touka blinked a few times before a blush rose to her cheeks and she held her sword out toward Dark, "Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that? You're such a pervert."

"That's about right," Satoshi agreed, quietly. However, his comment drew Hakuoro's attention.

"So what are you two doing here?"

Satoshi ignored him and Oboro, like previously, narrowed his eyes, "What is with all the people around here? First you ignore your manners and then you directly turn your attention away from my brother when he's speaking to you?"

"It would appear, from their dress, that they aren't from around here," Touka said, looking Dark up and down (just a bit more warily now).

"Where we are from is none of your business," the bluenette replied. Though, he was beginning to wonder why everyone felt they needed to attack him and whoever he was with.

"Do you not know who this is?" Oboro demanded, motioning to Hakuoro, "Show some respect before I make you!"

"Oboro, show some restraint," the masked emperor said, "There's no need to make enemies out of everyone."

"Maybe they are the enemy," the brunette pointed out.

"If they were the enemy, they wouldn't be so...unexperienced," Touka commented, glancing to Dark.

The amethyst-eyed boy chuckled and winked in her direction, "You must be mistaken, I'm very experienced."

Touka blushed again and hid her face while Oboro became even more outraged, "Don't talk about things like that in front of my brother!"

Hakuoro sighed and took a seat at the long table, "You two wear me out."

"And we still haven't found Benawi," Touka commented, "Are you sure it's alright to rest here?"

"It's fine," Hakuoro assured her, "Benawi is very capable." She nodded and took a seat with him. Oboro, not wanting to remain higher than his lord, sat also, though remained in the position to pounce at any moment.

Satoshi sighed and rested against the table while Dark leaned against the back of Touka's seat. The girl turned and blinked, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

The thief glanced over his shoulder and winked again, "Just relaxing." This caused the Evenkuruga to flush faintly again and Hakuoro to chuckle to himself.

---

Within the next two hours, it seemed the company had nearly tripled in size. Tabby and Sakisaka had found their way to the dining room, as well as Atoli, Raenef, Erutis, Ayumu, Hiyono, and Kousuke. Each were growing concerned about their still-absent friends, and many attempted to go out searching, only to be held back by others.

"Why isn't Eclipse here yet?" Raenef wondered, looking to Erutis.

The girl only shrugged, "It's not like any of us knew where this place was or intended on coming here."

"So, you mean he might not be coming at all?"

"I want to go look for Haseo," Atoli said, stubbornly. She had repeated her new mantra about ten times, and each time was shot down by Sakisaka.

Said man shook his head, "No way, you'll get lost or hurt or something and it'll turn into one big mess. Besides, it already looks like most are ending up here. Just wait and he'll be here."

The cleric sighed to herself and slumped back down in her seat. Silence settled over the group and no one seemed ready or willing to do any introducing. In fact, most seemed nearly hostile to the others and kept to themselves or their friends. Those who were naturally friendly and usually would approach others simply remained quiet and glanced around every now and then.

_"This situation is really tense," _Hakuoro thought, _"If something doesn't happen soon, it'll become like a miniature war zone in here."_

* * *

And so tensions rise. There will be yet another factor in this little prison of a house, though, and it will be introduced in the very beginning of next chapter. One or two more and that's all. It won't be a very long fic, but I'm really amazed that I could write this much in so short of a time. I don't want to ruin it or lose interest, which is why I'm keeping it short. I'm a little hesitant about posting these three chapters now and giving myself the opportunity to slack off, but I suppose we'll see just how lazy I am. XD, hope you enjoyed! 


End file.
